La Canada Outlook - Another Great Article

We're famous! CV Weekly Article. 5/12/11

State Championships!

More than 450 high school students from the State of California met at Los Olivos, just north of Santa Barbara, for the California High School Mountain Bike State Championships. Thirteen students from the St. Francis Mountain Bike team made the journey for the opportunity to compete against the best in the state.

“This is the first time at the State Championships for our team. I am very proud of their efforts this year and hope that this is a good learning experience and a vision of the future for the St. Francis team” Head Coach Lee Bird said.

In a huge Freshman Boys Division 1 class of 60 riders, Sean Bird’s season peaked at the right time and he raced neck-and-neck with the SoCal and NorCal series leaders, ending up with a very strong 5^th place result and the team’s lone podium position for the day. Hunter Nalley also rode strong to 28^th place and Daniel Balsam raced to 30^th, securing them a top 50% result in a deep field of talented Freshman racers. Also competing in the Freshman class and doing well were Michael Greenberg in 47^th and Keenan Koch in 55^th.

Our Sophomore Boys Division 1 team also competed in a deep field with 48 racers from across the state. Matt Kubly rode hard on the technical and bumpy course to a solid 13^th place. Not far behind was Scott Marshall sprinting to 17^th. Making the trip after a break away from racing and doing his best was Michael Togneri in 40^th.

The JV Boys Division 1 team also raced against a large field of 48 racers. Matt Misetich completed his season with another solid result and finished in 18^th. Christian Breitschwerdt made the trip to Los Olivos the morning after attending his prom and finished in 29^th. Cameron Aubert rode a steady race to 39^th. Not far behind and battling with a stomach bug, but completing the race was Connor Haas in 40^th.

Our sole Varsity rider, Eddy Kronfli, had set a goal at the beginning of the season to compete against the best in the state as a Varsity rider. Eddy achieved that goal and finished in 39^th position.

It’s been a long season and the St. Francis team has a lot to be proud of. We have achieved a lot this season, including many podium positions and top-10 finishes. Those solid results and experience will catapult us into the 2011-2012 season with renewed energy and dedication.

Well done Golden Knights!

Matt battling for position in the infield portion of the course.

Christian did the whole race with a bloody nose!

Matt Kubly riding strong.

Sean had a great start and was on his way to a 5th place podium.

Vail Lake - Final SoCal League Race of 2011

The St. Francis Golden Knights mountain bike team recently competed at Vail Lake for the final round of the 4 race SoCal high school mountain bike series. It was another successful weekend of competitive racing for the Golden Knights.

In the Freshman Boys Division 1 class, Sean Bird battled with the overall series leader and held on for a strong 4^th place finish. Sean’s 4^th place result secured his 5^th place overall in the 4 race series. Hunter Nalley rode strong to 10^th place securing a 7^th overall in the race series. Also competing in the Freshman class and doing well were Michael Greenberg in 11^th, JT Ingram in 16^th, and Keenan Koch in 26^th.

Our Sophomore Boys Division 1 team also had a podium finish. Scott Marshall dug deep to secure his first podium finish in 5^th place. Matt Kubly who was not able to attend the race secured a solid 7^th place overall in the series. Colby Koklas had a crash on the first lap but got back on his bike to finish in 21^st.

The temperatures started heating up, and so did the racing as the JV Boys Division 1 team headed out for their race. Matt Misetich and Christian Breitschwerdt dueled side by side as they have done all season, finishing in 6^th and 7^th place. Their results also placed them in 6^th and 7^th overall for the JV boys. Connor Hass rode to another well deserved top-10, finishing in 9^th place. Cameron Aubert and Steven Ayoob have steadily improved all season and finished in 12^th and 16^th.

Our sole Varsity rider, Eddy Kronfli, had his work cut out for him. The Varsity class is filled with pro level riders, and Eddy has worked hard all season to be the best that he can be in a very competitive class. Eddy’s #1 goal this season has been to qualify for the State Championships so that he can represent St. Francis as our first Varsity rider. Going into the race, Eddy knew that he needed to finish in 12^th position or better. On the last lap, after 16 miles of racing in 90 degree temperatures with a little more than 5 miles to go, Eddy was battling neck and neck with another rider for that 12^th position. With all of his coaches and teammates cheering him on, Eddy raced smart and succeeded in holding off his rival to finish in 12^th and qualify for States.

Many of our riders have qualified for and will be competing against riders from all over California at the State Championships on May 15^th in Los Olivos.

Well done Golden Knights!

Our secret training meal - Peeps on the camp fire the night before the race.

Sean Bird got a great start in the Freshman race.

Colby battling with a Woodcrest rider.

"Thanks Dad" - Connor getting a much needed water bottle in the feed zone.

Cameron Aubert has worked very hard this season and the results prove it.

Christian Breitschwerdt in full race mode.

Eddy in his final lap battle for the final State Champ spot.

My favorite picture so far this year.

Our Team Can Cheer on Our Riders Better Than Your Team!

Matt & Christian. 6th & 7th Overall, JV Boys.

Sean & Hunter. 5th and 7th Overall, Freshman Boys.

Scott Marshall's first SoCal League podium.

5th place, Sophomore Boys

Another great video from Coach Nick!

Power the Pinnacles - Lake Arrowhead

Snow on Saturday. Mud and cool temperatures on Sunday. Matt Kubly's first podium! Great racing! (yes, that's a brief race report).

JV Boys

Matt Misetich - 7th

Christian Breitschwerdt - 8th

Connor Haas - 9th

Cameron Aubert - 11th

Steven Ayoob - 15th

Soph Boys

Matt Kubly - 5th

Scott Marshall - 7th

Colby Koklas - 19th

Freshman Boys

Daniel Balsam - 6th

Hunter Nalley - 7th

Michael Greenberg - 10th

JT Ingram - 11th

Sean Bird - 26th

Keyesville - Race Report

Our 2nd of 4 races took us to the beautiful Southern Sierra's to the awesome race course at Keyesville. This was probably the most perfect setting for a mountain bike race with rolling hills and tacky soil. The only drawback was the wind...lots of it!

Our weekend started with a pre-ride on Saturday. We worked out a few mechanical problems and learned the course. Most of the families stayed in Kernville and we enjoyed an awesome family style dinner around the camp fire, in the RAIN! It was great! No one moved as the rain started coming down - we all just kept on eating the spread of tacos, beans, and rice. Dinner was followed by another of Coach Bird's motivational "get ready to race" speeches.

Sunday morning started with another team breakfast and then we were off to the race course. The winds picked up and the skies looked threatening. No rain on Sunday, but, did I mention there was wind? Our boys all raced hard and we ended up with many more top-10 finishes and our first podium in a year and a half. Sean Bird got 4th in the Freshman Boys class.

Great job team! More training and then our 3rd race on April 10th at Lake Arrowhead.

The final results were:

Varsity Boys

Eddy Kronfli - 12th (Broken Wheel)

JV Boys

Matt Misetich - 7th

Christian Breitschwerdt - 8th

Connor Haas - 10th

Cameron Aubert - 15th

Steve Shushnar - 19th

Steven Ayoob - 23rd

Soph Boys

Matt Kubly - 9th

Chris Sercel - 10th

Scott Marshall - 11th

Colby Koklas - 21st

Frosh Boys

Sean Bird - 4th

Daniel Balsam - 8th

Michael Greenberg - 10th

Hunter Nalley - 13th

Keenan Koch - 23rd

JT Ingram - DNF (Sprained Knee)

Special thanks to Coach Nick for making the video and Coach Ken and Mrs. Kubly for the pictures!

Sunrise in Kernville

Coach Nick sizing up a taco. I bet that taco's going to lose!

No wet guacamole!

Coach Bird with his "down by the river" speech

Michael Greenberg on his way to a solid 10th place

Sean Bird lead the Freshman Boys at one point

Steven Ayoob with the "splash of the day" award

Eddy Kronfli navigating between the rocks

Scott Marshall lookin' strong!

Sean Bird - 4th place podium

Even though we were 3 hrs from home, many of the boys stayed to congratulate Sean.

That's the St. Francis brotherhood!

Coach Nick with another GREAT video!

Race Report - Vail Lake

The 2011 St. Francis Golden Knights

The St. Francis Golden Knights started the 3rd season of the SoCal league with a very successful showing at the Vaikl Lake race. The hard work in the weeks leading up to the race was evident with 8 of the 17 racers finishing in the Top 10 of their racing class.

Families arrived on Saturday for our pre-ride, and then we enjoyed an awesome spaghetti dinner around the camp fire. About half the families camped out overnight. After a long, hard day of racing, the team and families enjoyed the "now famous" St. Francis brunch. Great job guys!

The final results were:

Varsity Boys

Eddy Kronfli - DNF (Broken Wheel)

JV Boys

Matt Misetich - 9th

Christian Breitschwerdt - 10th

Connor Haas - 14th

Steve Shushnar - 22nd

Cameron Aubert - 23rd

Soph Boys

Matt Kubly - 7th

Chris Sercel - 8th

Scott Marshall - 10th

Michael Togneri - 16th

Colby Koklas - 23rd

Frosh Boys

Sean Bird - 6th

JT Ingram - 7th

Hunter Nalley - 9th

Daniel Balsam - 15th

Michael Greenberg - 16th

Keenan Koch - 25th

Special thanks to Coach Nick for making the video and Coach Ken for the pictures!

Scott carrying his bike up Marine Hill

Chris with a strong ride

Daniel showing his descending skills

JT lettin' it fly!

Sean on his way to a very good 6th place

Eddy had a tough break on the 1st lap but continued on

Matt being chased by a fast Hemet rider